The invention pertains to a customer messaging and alerting service. In particular, the service provides for multi-channel communications between customers and businesses, and provides a means for businesses to create alerts for target customers that are routed via each customer's specified alert hierarchy.
Electronic interactions between a business and its customers currently are typically reactive, responding to each customer request separately. In addition, business responses are typically rigid, tending to be seller-centric. For example, some companies offer only one or two ways for customer interaction with customer service personnel and only for specified time periods. Thus, customers must do business with their suppliers under each company's terms, and the customer support infrastructure is used only when a customer requests assistance.
One of the most popular forms of communicating privately between persons, one-on-one, via personal computer (PC) and other devices, including personal digital assistants (PDA) and Web-enabled phones, is called instant messaging. There are various forms of instant messaging systems that do not work with one another, such as America Online's Instant Messenger and Yahoo! Messenger. But each of the instant-messaging systems allow a user to create a special list that enables the user to be informed when a “buddy” (one of the users on the special list) has come online, and that person is also informed that the user is online. The system works because a piece of client software running on each person's PC allows a connection to an Instant Messaging server to be made, and permits the user to be logged into the server by supplying the user's screen name and a password. The client software then sends a list of “buddies” to the server, which checks to see if anyone on the list is currently online, and continues checking as long as the user runs the client software.
It is estimated that 130 million people currently use Instant Messaging software, and that about 1.5 billion instant messages are sent daily. The United States Postal Service, in comparison, handles approximately 660 million letters per day. The use of instant messaging software is thus becoming more popular as the number of people utilizing the internet continues to increase. Businesses have recognized this trend, and various instant messaging providers are developing wireless communication applications, for such devices as mobile telephones, pagers, web-enabled digital telephones, personal digital assistants and other devices.
In view of these trends, businesses hoping to provide excellent customer service must not only be concerned about staffing call centers with knowledgeable personnel, but also must be concerned about how to locate and communicate with highly mobile and computer-savvy customers. It is clear that offering a toll-free telephone number for contacting customer representatives eight hours a day is no longer acceptable in today's fast-paced, digital environment.